Recent Acquisition Highlights

August 2007

Background

This report offers a review of recent significant acquisitions by the National Library. It does not describe the large volume of acquisitions of both Australian and overseas materials that are routinely acquired through deposit, purchase or donation. During the 2006 2007 financial year the Library acquired over 270 000 collection items in a wide range of formats.

Australian Printed Materials

A major collecting priority for the National Library is literature on Pacific voyages, and the major figures involved in the European discovery and exploration of Australia and the Pacific. During the period covered by the report a number of important items were acquired by purchase from antiquarian dealers.

A number of books documenting early Australian life and not previously held in the Library’s collections have been received. These include nineteenth and twentieth century imprints.

The Library acquires artist’s books on a selective basis as examples of the art and craft of book production. An interesting range of works have been purchased in the period under review.

Australian documentary heritage is also represented by more ephemeral or insubstantial material, and the National Library collects a varied selection documenting aspects of Australian life. The following menus and leaflets were acquired in this reporting period.

The National Library collects posters as part of the Australian documentary heritage. Several posters tempting travel to and within Australia were acquired including: The holiday spirit, Mt. Buffalo National Park (ca. 1930); The new overland, Melbourne to Adelaide, 1¼ hours quicker (ca. 1940s); B.O. A.C. Britain-Australia by the kangaroo service, in association with Q.E.A; They’ll be glad to see you in the ‘Old country’, take a ‘boomerang’ ticket, it’s cheaper – with P&O (ca. 1950s); and Spa health resorts, Daylesford, Hepburn Springs, go by train (1952).

Australian Online Publications

To provide ongoing access to documentary heritage material in digital form the Library collects significant Australian websites and other online documents and makes them available for use through the PANDORA archive. The following examples of online resources recently archived show the diversity of the material being collected.

Manuscripts

Publicity surrounding acquisition of the papers of Patrick White resulted in many additional acquisitions of White related material. Among these were the papers of theatre director John Sumner (including a rare typescript for A Cheery Soul, complete with White’s own sketch for a stage plan), an important set of letters to film director Paul Cox, correspondence between Manoly Lascaris and writer Sally Bird, early 1960s correspondence between Patrick White and poet and publisher Max Harris, drafts and a tape recording of White’s speech ‘Role of the Australian citizen in a nuclear war’.

Many other significant literary and drama collections were acquired during this period. A fine addition from Elizabeth Harrower includes a long run of correspondence with Shirley Hazzard, particularly significant as Hazzard has not transferred her own papers to any archive and primary sources are scarce. There were also additions to the papers of writers Robert Adamson, Nicolette Stasko and Mem Fox. Several large literary organisational archives were acquired, including records of the now-defunct Australian National Playwrights Centre and Playworks and the author correspondence of Australia’s longest established literary agency, Curtis Brown Pty Ltd.

The Library’s holdings of material relating to artists was strengthened with the donation of a very significant artist’s book by James Gleeson including hundreds of drawings, collages and watercolours and the papers of Hardy Wilson, received after many years of intermittent contact with the artist’s family.

Manuscripts received its first ‘digital only’ archive when it acquired records stored on 200 5.25 inch disks from Nobel Laureate Professor Robin Warren. This collection is being used to test requirements for acquiring, preserving and managing born–digital personal archives. The more traditional format records of the GeneEthics network contribute to a growing collection strength around genetic engineering issues.

The papers of several eminent Australians were received during the period, among hem the papers of Donald McDonald, former Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the Honourable Fred Chaney, former Minister in the Fraser Government, who has recently completed a term as President of the Australian Native Title Tribunal. Additional correspondence with Edward Koiki Mabo was received from Professor Noel Loos, former co-Chairman of the Townsville Native Title Tribunal.

The Library continues to strengthen its colonial period collections, acquiring records from Springfield station, a set of early Tasmanian letters (1830 1844), 1841 Durmont d’Urville correspondence, letters from the New Australia colony in Paraguay, and the diary of Alberto Dias Soares, an evangelical Anglican minister and church architect who designed a number of churches in the Canberra and Monaro districts in the mid 1850s.

Representation of church history and religious life was enhanced by the acquisition of the papers of Sir Philip Strong, Bishop of New Guinea during World War II and later Archbishop of Brisbane and Primate of Australia, and the records of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture.

Maps

Cartes et Tables de la Geographie Physique ou Naturelle, a very rare 1770 atlas, represents the ultimate in French speculation about the nature of the Australian east coast prior to Cook’s first voyage of discovery. By the Royal cartographer, Philippe Buache, it comprises 20 plates and was published by the French Academy of Sciences. Buache’s theoretical work on the physical aspects of geography is noted for fixing connections between continents and known mountain chains to hypothetical submarine faults and ranges, at a time when the geological sciences were in their infancy. The charts of Australia, and the southern Indian and Pacific oceans are all outstanding examples of Buache’s theoretical drawing. The atlas is in very good condition and bound in the original gold-tooled leather.

Another exceptional acquisition was Thesaurus geographicus, a gazetteer by Abraham Ortelius of Antwerp. Ortelius was the foremost sixteenth century geographer and the Library possesses three of his world atlases. This beautifully bound 1596 edition of the Ortelius ‘thesaurus’ contains 30 000 geographic terms of ancient and medieval geography and a critical treatise on geography. The thesaurus was a companion to Ortelius’ atlas Theatrum orbis terrarum, of which the Library has 1601 and 1609 editions. It became a standard work in historical geography and topographical lexicography. To this, the second edition of Ortelius’ thesaurus, is attributed the first known mention of the concept of continental drift. Writing prior to the discovery of Australia, Ortelius suggested that the Americas were torn away from Europe and Africa by “earthquakes and floods”, and that the vestiges of the rupture revealed themselves, “if someone brings forward a map of the world and considers carefully the coasts of the three continents.”

An important printed record of Tasman’s voyages was acquired. During his two voyages of 1642-43 and 1644 Tasman provided what was to remain more or less unchanged as the world’s image of the Australian continent until Cook’s voyage, 130 years later. The first expedition charted Tasmania and New Zealand, while the results of his second voyage were the first accurate charting of the northern Australian coastline. Evidence of Tasman’s achievement in the form of maps began to appear in 1648, the same year construction began on the Burgerzaal, still one of Amsterdam’s finest public buildings. An integral part of the Citizen’s Hall, a large world map in marble and copper was laid on the floor. Comprising two world hemispheres each 20 feet in diameter, the floor was depicted in an architectural volume by Jacob Van Campen, published in 1661. Time and wear and tear to the marble led to several attempts at renovation, however by 1765 the two hemispheres had disappeared from the floor. As the only printed record, the map De Grondt en Vloer vande Groote Burgerzaal [Floor of the Grand Citizens’ Hall], has a unique place in laying before the reader a record of the Tasman voyages. One other copy of the volume exists in Australia, at the State Library of New South Wales.

Music and Dance

Arising from our participation in the Australian Research Council funded project on the Ballets Russes in Australia, the Library became aware of an impressive collection of 1182 vintage photographs of 1939 and 1940 Ballets Russes performances in Melbourne. The collection has since been acquired from the daughter of the photographer, Hugh P. Hall. The photographs include productions of Spectre de la Rose, Le coq d'or, L'Après-midi d'un faune and many others. They show the choreography, costumes and settings and, being sequential in nature, is a valuable resource for performers restaging the dances.

The trustees of the estate of Kristian Fredrikson (1940-2005), one of Australia’s most respected and prolific performing arts designers, have donated his archive to the Library. In a career spanning over 40 years Fredrikson’s work encompassed ballet, opera, contemporary dance, theatre, exhibitions, film and television. Notable among his collaborators were Graeme Murphy, George Ogilvie, the Melbourne Theatre Company, Opera Australia and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The collection is strongly representative of the scope of Fredrikson’s work and includes exquisitely detailed drawings and rough sketches which capture perfectly both the essence of each production and the creative output of this talented designer.

A highlight was the purchase of Dame Nellie Melba memorabilia from the Melba Conservatorium of Music. The collection contains an autographed musical manuscript of a cadenza written for Melba by Joachim, the most famous European violinist of the day, 58 of Melba’s personal performance editions and an exquisite silk fan signed by 25 famous artists and colleagues. The new collection adds to the existing Melba correspondence, photos, performance memorabilia and some regalia. Her annotated personal scores document the roles she played and provide intriguing clues to her way of learning and interpreting roles.

Other acquisitions include a collection of letters by Percy Grainger purchased at Sotheby’s London; a rare early collection of published and engraved sheet music dating from the 1840s and a new instalment for the Pinne Collection of 100 years of sheet music from musicals.

In addition, the Library acquired a collection of 10 scrapbooks containing newspaper cuttings, programmes and memorabilia documenting Roger Smalley’s career as a composer and pianist in England and Australia assembled by his proud father.

Oral History and Folklore

Recent interviews have included prominent arts identities. Vincent Plush interviewed composer Robert Hughes and Doreen Bridges, a noted music educator; Ann Turner interviewed Nora Brash, PNG playwright, journalist, and writer. Mark O’Connor interviewed poets Suzanne and Brian Ridley; Sara Dowse interviewed author Carmel Bird; Dr Daniel Connell interviewed arts administrator and former ABC Board Chairman Donald McDonald and John Bannister interviewed fashion designer Liz Davenport as part of the continuing collaboration with the State Library of Western Australia.

Curator of Dance, Lee Christofis conducted interviews with a number of people involved in dance, and particularly the Ballets Russes tours, including Annette Gillen, Zora Semberova, Perdita Eldridge, Barbara Hardy, Mary Heath, Judith Farrell, Shirley Baker, Valerie Lisner, Felicitie Campbell and Irina Baronova. Bill Stephens interviewed publicist Coralie Wood, dancer and choreographer Ross Coleman and regional newspaper publisher and band leader Jim Woods. James Waites interviewed the actress Maggie Blinco.

Scientists who were interviewed included Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, 2006 winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, interviewed by Dr Ann Moyal; astronomer Dr Lister Staveley-Smith interviewed by Dr Ragbir Bhathal, and Professor Jenny Graves, recipient of the 2007 Thinker of the Year award interviewed by Peter Pockley. The engineer and businessman Sir Arvi Parbo was interviewed by Rob Linn.

Professor Peter Read and Jackie Huggins interviewed Indigenous community leaders Avenlina Tarrago, John Huggins, Anita Heiss, Rhianna Patrick and Zirala Currie for the Seven Years On project. Sue Davenport interviewed Joan Dearman and John Sherwood for the Martu Aboriginal History Project. Dr Aaron Corn and Joe Gumbula recorded interviews in Arnhem Land with Brian Norman Brown, Farrah Gumbula, Frank Garawirritja, George Gaykamanu, John Moran, Ian Gumbula and Keith Dhamarrandji.

Australian Research Council funded projects contributed many interviews. For the history of the Academy of the Social Sciences with Victoria University and Melbourne University interviews were recorded with Professors Fay Gale, Joseph Isaac, Peter Sheehan, Bettina Cass, Raewyn Connell, Marcia Neave, Sue Richardson, Peter Singer, Don Aitkin, Dr Michael Keating, Dr Jonathan Pincus and Ian Castles. Sir Anthony Mason and Sir Daryl Dawson were interviewed for the Australian National University history of the High Court. Associate Professor Jenny Hocking of Monash University interviewed Gough Whitlam, Freda Whitlam, Moss Cass, Bill Hayden and Malcolm Fraser for her political biography of Gough Whitlam.

Folklorist Rob Willis made a number of recordings with traditional performers during visits to Tasmania, Western Australia and through regional New South Wales. Sean Doherty, Irish fiddler and Tom Kearns, Irish singer were recorded in the Library’s music studio. Kevin Bradley recorded interviews with individuals in the Australian Irish music community in Western Australia and New South Wales, including an interview with musician, educator and entrepreneur, Kevin Doyle.

Pictures

In December, Pictures identified an oil painting of ‘the old tree’ by George Peacock in a Leonard Joel catalogue as the South Australian Proclamation Tree and successfully bid for it at the auction. Other bidders must have also recognised its importance since the bidding went to four times the catalogue estimate. The painting is rare for its depiction of the famous ‘Old Gum Tree’ in its healthy state, in colour, and surrounded by cottages now replaced by urban development.

Two other colonial works were purchased in the period. Negotiations with a Victorian family led to the purchase of the oil On the Murray River at Echucha, 1885 by P.J. Lysaght. The painting, which shows a paddle steamer, people and buildings on the river bank, combines topographical and social history elements to provide an interesting record of life on the Murray River. The Library was also successful in purchasing an S.T. Gill watercolour of Hill River Station, Clare, South Australia, ca. 1846 at a Deutscher & Hackett sale in Melbourne. The watercolour shows good detail of the homestead, which was one of the earliest European settlements in the Clare Valley.

Another auction acquisition was a presentation album of photographs of the Murray River Irrigation System in 1920, compiled by the Irrigation Department in Adelaide. The photographs resonate with pride in the engineering achievements of the system and show irrigated pastures and a bountiful water supply flowing through dense forest. The album is in stark contrast with contemporary photographs purchased from photographer Bill Bachman showing the effect of salinity. Pictures also acquired at auction include an album of photographs of the activities of the Gliding Club of Victoria in the 1930s.

Other photographs acquired include a series recording aspects of life on the Gold Coast in the 1950s, purchased from photographer Jeff Carter. The photographs record beach wear, the construction of tourist facilities, some eye-catchingly designed motels and trend-setting ‘spaghetti bars’. Photographer Nic Ellis supplied 13 photographs taken at the Anglican boys’ school Guildford Grammar School in Perth in 1994 and 1995. The photographs depict boys in the boarding house, at their studies, in chapel, in the cadet unit, performing in the Rock Eisteddfod and taking part in sporting activities including archery and rugby.

In 2006, Pictures staff began negotiations with Mrs Melva Truchanas, widow of renowned wilderness photographer Olegas Truchanas, to acquire the right to copy the slide presentation which toured Australia in the unsuccessful campaign to save Lake Pedder. The project to copy them was completed in February, having taken several months due to technical issues related to the condition of the slides. This beautiful and significant collection of images can now be viewed online. The acquisition complements the photographs of Hydroelectric Authority staff member Russell Ashton, acquired in 2005, which represents an alternative view of Lake Pedder.

Other acquisitions during the period included 98 portraits from Rennie Ellis’ Aussies All series, a small collection of photographs of John Howard at home with his family by Ern McQuillan, and images of the Sydney film studio One Islam Productions.

Asian Publications

A number of publications relating to the September 2006 coup d’état in Thailand have been acquired. Many of these challenge the new unelected government on how long it will be before elected government is restored. There is also increasing discussion about the Thai royal family despite the risk of committing lèse majeste (crimes or offences against the sovereign). The law of lèse majeste itself is also under discussion, when previously these topics were rarely spoken of in public. The following titles are not available in Thai bookshops:

Other Overseas Publications

In addition to collecting a wide range of books and journals published overseas, the Library also acquires electronic and microform research collections to complement and enhance the print collection. During the last eight months, the following major resources have been made available:

Although the Library no longer has an active rare book acquisition program, material for the collection is still acquired, either through purchase or donation, where it augments existing collections and when resources permit. Titles acquired in this period include:

 

 

 

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